In Washington, all financial skirmishes lead to the same place.

Will a bargain be struck to reverse the sequestration spending cuts?

“Nobody can live with the cuts, and the GOP can’t live with the blame.”

“When the pain kicks in—not the pain for those impacted by the cuts, but the pain experienced when poll numbers for the politicians head south—a deal will be struck.”

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“Ecclesiastes tells us there is a time and place for everything. This too shall pass.”

No

“People will be surprised at how little most Americans directly feel the impact of these spending reductions.”

“The tea party has painted the [Republicans] into a corner that Boehner can’t get them out of.”

“In the end, all sides will see sequestration as a gift, and try to manage it but not repeal it.”

“Too many House Republicans believe the cuts are good for America to cut a deal.”

“The vacuum of leadership on both sides in Washington is breathtaking; I cannot imagine Sam Rayburn and Everett Dirksen allowing this to happen.”

Too early to tell

“Right now, the pain is spread out and not acute to anyone. No deal will be struck until that changes.”

“The question is not ‘whether’ but ‘when.’ It all depends on the public’s response.”

“If sufficient pain is felt over the next few months, a larger deal on deficit reduction may occur at the confluence of the debt-limit expiration and the [continuing resolution].”

“Hopefully, the participants in this game of chicken get tarred and feathered in November 2014. Cluck, Cluck.”

“Seems like a no-brainer, but we’re dealing with a bunch of, well, no-brainers.”

Will a bargain be struck to reverse the sequestration spending cuts?

REPUBLICANS (95 VOTES)

Yes: 20% No: 45% Too early to tell: 35%

Yes

“The GOP lost on the fiscal cliff; the White House lost on the sequester. The CR is a chance for them to compromise around a mutual goal—avoiding a shutdown.”

“They will agree to move money around to priority areas. The cuts will remain at the same level.”

No

“The Obama administration has rarely looked worse or lost so much credibility. Right up there with the Mayan apocalypse, Y2K, and Geraldo’s vault. The president’s postelection hubris finally catches up with him.”

“Maybe to reassign the cuts. But if the bargain is to REVERSE the cuts, GOP voters will have the heads of their representatives.”

“The cuts take effect, and the stock market hits an all-time high. Shows you what investors think of Obama’s credibility.”

“Obama’s price for reasonable spending reductions is more taxes, and Republicans won’t give that to him. Game over.”

“Both sides are getting what they want. Republicans get good policy. Democrats get good populist talking points.”

“Obama essentially needs Greek-style protests to prove his point, but if that happens, he will get a great deal of the blame. No deal.”

“The White House botched this so badly it’s hard to see how a deal comes together now.”

Too early to tell

“Nobody cares.... Spring training is more interesting than D.C.”

“There won’t be any tax increases, but the administration will probably cave on accepting flexibility for the existing cuts.”

“Conservatives are being proved right in the short term—that the sky is not falling and that President Obama and his team ratcheted up the fear just a couple of notches too far.”

“Not likely; the GOP knows this is one of the only ways they can get substantial cuts to spending.”

In the 2014 midterms, will Republicans surpass the 27 percent Hispanic support that Mitt Romney received last November?

DEMOCRATS (97 VOTES)

Yes: 21%No: 46%Too early to tell: 33%

Yes

“We’re talking baseline here. They can’t do worse.”

“The 27 percent was probably unsustainable, though getting more than 30 percent will be difficult.”

“There are plentiful signs they’ve gotten the message—and, more important, their potential candidates see it crystal clear.”

“Hard to do worse, though Jeb Bush may have helped move them down a little more.”

No

“Saying you have to care about Hispanics is not equivalent to caring about Hispanics. Voters know the difference.”